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Steam pipe in attic

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SeanBeans
SeanBeans Member Posts: 520
in Strictly Steam
This steam pipe is going up into the attic.. but there is no access to attic and guy wasn't into poking holes to find out.

There is a steam vent here as seen in the picture below.. it looks like the only steam vent on the whole system beside the rad vents of course..

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  • SeanBeans
    SeanBeans Member Posts: 520
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  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,376
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    Down feed system.

    You may have something like this:


    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
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    Is this an operable system currently? If not you may have to get there and see what's going on. Could have been a riser left for possibly heating "attic" at some point. There actually might even be a rad there for all you know. This will have an effect on sizing a proper boiler.
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
    edited April 2017
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    The rest of pic is dark, an not being able to see what room this is, possibly a bathroom given that stack in the chase, pipe may have been used like that with a vent as a heating surface, i.e. radiator and is capped above the ceiling
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
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    Looks like 1-1/4 pipe, no? Too small for express riser, I'd suppose, but who knows. Max EDR 1-1/4 pipe carries is not that large...
  • SeanBeans
    SeanBeans Member Posts: 520
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    All rads were fed by 1 1/4 pipe
  • SeanBeans
    SeanBeans Member Posts: 520
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    Was a bathroom under renovation.,

    The water meter and gas are shut off to the house.

    I was thinking that it was just capped off at the top. There is a parallel flow main and a counter flow main with no return in sight.. the parallel main is about 30 feet of 1 1/2 with 4 of 5 rads in the house and no vent on it. Not even plugged anywhere
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
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    Cointerflow main will have a drip somewhere at the start of the main, or at least it should. By the book, mains should be 2" minimum. 1-1/2 main will not safely cary more than 152 EDR in parallel flow pipe, and only 81 EDR when counterflow. What's the total edr load per main?
  • AMservices
    AMservices Member Posts: 610
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    Are there radiators that you can't trace where there being supplied from? Is there any indication that the pipe going to the attic is serving another radiator? If not, your probably right in thinking its just caped and the pipe is just the radiator for the bath room.

  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,530
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    The pipe is the radiator.
    Retired and loving it.
    Ironman
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
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    in my opinion, need access to the attic, cut a 2'by2' hole in a convenient room and make an access panel and put the mystery to rest,...lol
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • ScottSecor
    ScottSecor Member Posts: 856
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    I agree with above, the pipe is likely "the" radiator for the bathroom. Leave it alone and just swap the vent, unless you want to re-fit the piping and install a conventional small cast iron radiator.

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